Nail wire guide



Feb. 21, 1933. A BRADLEY 1,898,286

NAIL WIRE GUIDE Filed June 25, 1931 9 6 163 1,? ya 7 6 HI 0|||I 2 O t?? O im zeig/- Emi; /ef/ A /afZ/ey Patented Feb. 2l, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT Nol-"rifcE ALBERT BRADLEY, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO NORTAHVESTERN BARE WIRE COMPANY, F STERLING, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS NAIL WIRE GUIDE Application led June 25,

This invention has to do with nail making machines, and concerns particularly a device by which the wire from which the nails are to be fabricated is properly guided to the 5 nail forming dies of the machine. Y

In the fabrication of -nails from wire of various cross-sectional shapes, particularly wire which is non-circular in cross-section, in view of the fact that the wire must be posi- 19 tioned in a predetermined relation to the various dies in order that the proper nail construction is to be obtained, it is important that adequate means be provided to insure the proper positioning of the wire relative to the dies.

It is accordingly one of the principal objects of the present invention to provide means for guiding nail wire into a nail malring machine in proper juxtaposition to the nail forming dies so that the point and head of the nail will be properly formed with respect to the shank thereof.

t is another' object of the invention to provide guide construction of the character described by which improper positioning of the wire with respect to the point and head forming dies of the nail making machine is prevented.

In accordance with thegeneral features of the invention, the guide is attached to the wire feed arm of the machine to prevent the wire from turning between the feed device and the pinch dies, the guide having a longitudinal bore or opening of a cross-sectional contour corresponding to that of the wireV to be guided thereby. The wire entends through the guide and enters the nail forming portion of the machine, and upon completion of a stroke of the feed arm toward tho dies, the

free forward end of the wire is vsevered or sheared by a suitable instrumentality and its point and head formed by suitable dies.

In accordance with one form ofthe invention, the guide is made of a pair of complemental parts having longitudinal grooves which are brought together when the parts are assembled to Vform a composite groove having a cross sectional contour corresponding to that of the wire to be guided thereby.

Other and further important obj ectsof this 1931. Aserial ne. 546,734.

invention willbe apparent from the disclosures inthe specification and the accompanying drawing. j

rlhis invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter more-fully described.

Figure l is af fragmentary elevational view, partly in section, showing aportion of a nail forming machine constructed in accordance withthe present invention.

, `Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical enlarged sectional view of one form of nail wire guide constructed in accordance with the principles of the Vpresent invention.

Figure 3 isa transverse sectional view, partly in'elevation, taken in the plane indicated by the line III-III in Figure 2.

y Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view, partly in elevation, taken approximately in the plane indicated by the line IV-IV .inV Figure 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein the same parts are indicated throughout by the same reference characters, a nail making machine is designated generally by the numeral l, and includes nail forming instrumentalities including those shown at 2, the machine being provided with an opening 3 through which the wire to be formed into nails obtains access to the dies. rlhe machine is provided with a suitable feed table 4 stationarily held in adjusted p0- sitionon the rail 5, and provided with guide rollers Gabout which the nail wire 7 zig-zags and by which the wire is ltensioned. The table 4 carries an arm 8 and is reciprocable by suitable means, not shown, the rail moving in suitable bearings 5a. A cam 9 pivotally carried by the feed arm 8 grips the wireV 7 at 10 as the wire is fed to the right into the machine-l, and slides by the wire in the reverse movement of the feed arm 8, to again engage the wire when the feed arm moves to the right again. Thus the cam 9 is in the nature of a one-way clutch. Set screws l1 provide for adjustment of the feed table 4 along the rail 5, of which there may be two.

The guide l2comprises complemental elongated members 13 and 14, each having a longitudinally extending groove l5, said grooves,

when said members 13 and 14 are properly juxtaposed, registering with each other to form an enlarged groove or bore or opening 16 having a shape in cross-section corresponding with that of the wire to be guided thereby. For the purpose of illustration only, the groove 16 is disclosed as being substantially elliptical. A split or other suitable sleeve 17 is clamped about a round portion 12a of the guide 12 and is provided with an arm 18 by which the guide 12 is suitably secured to the feed arm 8 to move therewith.

`While any suitable means may be employed for holding the parts 13 and 14 in proper relation to each other, these parts are preferably secured by means of a special bolt and dowel construction. The bolt is indicated at 19 and includes a substantially rectangular or other non-circular head 20 and a threaded shank 21. The parts 13 and 14 are provided with registering openings 22 and 23, respectively, through which the shank of the bolt 19 passes, the part 14 being provided at the outer end of its opening 23 with a transversely extending or other non-circular groove 24 in which the head 2()y of the bolt 19 is received. The walls of the groove 24 prevent rotation of the head 20 and consequently of the bolt 19, the projecting threaded shank 21 of the bolt being received by a nut 25, whereby the two parts 13 and 14 are tightly clamped together. In order to insure proper alignment of the parts 13 and 14, one of the parts, 13 for the purpose of this illustration, is provided with dowels 26 which are embedded therein and project therefrom as shown at 27. The other part, 14, is provided with dowel receiving openings 28. Two sets of dowels and openings of the character just mentioned are provided on opposite sides of the clamp bolt, and when the dowels are disposed in the respective openings, the grooves 15 properly register with each other to form the enlarged elliptical groove 16 when the bolt 19 is clamped in position.

In order not to interrupt the proper continuity of the groove 16, the shank of the bolt` 19 is provided with an opening 29 which is coaxial with the groove 16 and is so dimensioned as not to project inwardly of the walls of the groove 16. Thus the wire is received in the groove 16 and opening 29, and

\ projects through the opening 3 in the machine as indicated at 30 as far as the nail forming instrumentalities. It will be understood, of

course, that the parts 13 and 14 are essentially substantially identical so that the dowel pins 26 may be embedded in either of the parts and the bolt 19 may be reversed with respect to the position shown. By making the head 20 and the corresponding groove 24 non-circular, it will be clear that no mistake can be made in the positioning of the bolt 19 with its opening 29 coaxial with the groove 16.

The dotted lines in Figure 1 indicate the position of the nail Wire guide 12 at its forward limit of movement.

It will be understood that while the groove 16 is herein disclosed as elliptical this is intended to be merely illustrative since any shape in cross-section of the groove 16 may be made use of in accor-dance with the principles of this invention. Vhatever the shape of wire and corresponding shape of the groove 16, it will be apparent from the foregoing that by employing a nail wire guide of the construction herein disclosed the wire will be held in proper relationship to the point and head forming dies so that these parts of the nail may be properly fashioned. For example, in the fabrication of an oval nail having what is known as a chisel point, with the chisel line or edge parallel or nearly parallel to the short axis of the oval, it is imperative that a certain predetermined position of the nail with respect to the chisel point forming dies be maintained.

1t is obvious that the nail wire guide constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is of extremely simple construction involving few parts which will not get out of order and which serves to adequately guide and reinforce the wire as the latter is fed to the nail forming instrumentalities.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A nail wire guide comprising complemental sections having registering grooves forming together' a closed groove, and means for clamping said sections together, said means including a bolt passing through said sections with its axis intersecting the axis of the closed groove, said bolt having an opening coaxial with and dimensioned so that it does not project inwardly beyond the contour of the closed groove.

2. A nail wire guide comprising complemental sections having registering grooves forming together a closed groove, and means for clamping said sections together, said l dowel means imbedded in one of said sections and extendin into the other of said sections, and means or clamping said sections together, said sections, When aligned by said doWel means, having registering grooves .forming together an opening extending through said guide, the axis of said clamping means substantially intersecting the axis of said opening.

4. In a machine for making nails from non-circular Wire, including nail forming dies and means for feeding the Wire thereto, a guide for said Wire for holding the same in proper position with respect to the dies, said guide comprising complemental sections having registering longitudinally extending grooves, means for preventing disalignment of said grooves, and a device for clamping said sections together, said grooves being complemental to each other and forming together an opening of cross sectional contour corresponding to that of the Wire.

5. In a machine for making nails from non-circular Wire, including nail forming dies and means for feeding the Wire thereto, a guide for said Wire for holding the same in proper position with respect to the dies, said guide comprising complemental sections having registering longitudinally extending grooves, means for preventing disalignment of said grooves, and a device for clamping said sections together, said grooves being complemental to each other and forming together an opening of cross-sectional contour corresponding to that of the Wire, said clamping means having its axis intersecting that of said opening.

6. In a machine for making nails from non-circular Wire, including nail forming dies and means for feeding the Wire thereto, a guide for said Wire for holding the same in proper position With respect to the dies, said guide comprising complemental sections having registering longitudinally extending grooves, means for preventing disalignment of said grooves, and a device for clamping said sections together, said grooves being complemental to each other and forming together an opening of cross-sectional contour corresponding to that of the Wire, said clamping means having an opening aligned with the first mentioned opening, so that said clamping means Will not interfere with the passage of the Wire through the first mentioned opening.

7. In a machine for making nails from non-circular Wire, including nail forming dies and means for feeding the Wire thereto, a guide for said Wire for holding the same in proper position With respect to the dies, said guide comprising complemental sections having registering longitudinally extending grooves, means for preventing disalignment of said grooves, and a device for clamping said sections together, said grooves being complemental to each other and forming together an opening of cross-sectional contour Corresp onding to that of the Wire, sai-dv clamping means extending transverse to said sections and having an opening aligned with the first mentioned opening, so that said holding means Will not interfere with the passage of the Wire through the rst mentioned opening.

8. In a machine for making nails from non-circular Wire, including nail forming dies and means for feeding the Wire thereto, a guide for said Wire for holding the same in proper position With respect to the dies, said guide comprising complemental sections having registering longitudinally extending grooves, means for preventing disalignment of said grooves, and a device for clamping said sections together, said grooves being complemental to each other and forming together an opening of cross sectional contour corresponding to that of the Wire, said clamping means having an opening aligned With the first mentioned opening, so that said .holding means will not interfere With the passage of the Wire through the lirst mentioned opening, and means for preventing disalignment of said openings.

9. A nail Wire guide comprising complemental sections having registering grooves forming together a closed groove, and a bolt passing through sai-d sections With its axis substantially intersecting the axis of the closed groove, said bolt having an opening registering with said closed groove.

10. A nail Wire guide comprising complemental sections having registering .grooves forming together a closed groove, and a bolt passing through said sections With its axis substantially intersecting the axis of the closed groove, said bolt having an opening registering With said closed groove, and means associated With said bolt for preventing non-registration of said opening and closed groove.

1l. A nail Wire guide comprising complemental sections having registering grooves forming together a closed groove, and a bolt passing through sai-d sections With its axis substantially intersecting the axis of the closed groove, said bolt having an opening registering With said closed groove, means associated With said bolt for preventing nonregistration of said opening and closed groove, and instrumentalities for preventing the disalignment of the registering grooves.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name at Sterling, Whiteside County, Illinois.

ALBERT BRADLEY. 

